ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Railways
10 pairs of Vande Bharat trains are operational on Indian Railways’ network
Indian Railways plan to manufacture 75 Vande Bharat Chair Car trains to connect different parts of the country
A tender for manufacture of 200 Vande Bharat trains opened in Nov 2022
Vande Bharat Express services aim at providing faster and better travel experience to the passengers. Presently, the following 10 pairs of Vande Bharat train services are operational on the Indian Railways’ network: -
1. 22435/22436 Varanasi- New Delhi Express
2. 22439/22440 New Delhi – Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express
3. 20901/20902 Mumbai Central - Gandhinagar Capital Express
4. 22447/22448 New Delhi - Amb Andaura Express
5. 20607/20608 MGR Chennai - Mysuru Express
6. 20825/20826 Bilaspur - Nagpur Express
7. 22301/22302 Howrah - New Jalpaiguri Express
8. 20833/20834 Visakhapatnam - Secunderabad Express
9. 22223/22224 CSMT - Sainagar Shirdi Express
10. 22225/22226 Solapur – CSMT Express
These Vande Bharat services have ultra-modern features like faster acceleration, better ride comfort, on board infotainment and Global Positioning System  based passenger information system, automatic doors, retractable footsteps and Zero discharge vacuum bio toilets etc.
The Point-to-Point fare of Vande Bharat Express is calculated based on basic fare table notified for Vande Bharat trains. Other charges like reservation fee, superfast surcharge, catering charge and Goods and Services tax etc as applicable are levied separately. Basic fare of Vande Bharat Express in AC chair car is 1.4 times of basic fare of AC chair car of Shatabdi train and in Executive class is 1.3 times of basic fare of executive class of Shatabdi train services.
Indian Railways have planned to manufacture 75 Vande-Bharat Chair Car Trains to connect different parts of the country. Further, in the Budget 2022-2023, announcement has been made regarding development and manufacture of four hundred new-generation Vande Bharat Trains, with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience, during the next three years.
A tender has been opened on 30.11.2022 for manufacture of 200 Vande Bharat trains at an estimated cost of ₹26,000 Crore for supply portion. This tender is under evaluation
This information was given by the Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronic & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Railways
Action Taken wrt Video in circulation in Social Media on Vendor seen coming out of train toilet with tea/coffee cans
It has come to notice that a video has been in circulation in Social Media in the last few days of a Vendor seen coming out of train toilet with tea/coffee cans, conveying that water is being mixed in the cans inside the toilet. With regard to the same, the following action taken update is issued.
“The incident has occurred in Train No. 12759 Chennai Central – Hyderabad Charminar Express at Secunderabad Railway Station in the month of December 2017. An Inquiry has been held to identify the wrong doers and initiate appropriate action.
On the basis of the Inquiry, stringent action has been taken up against the Train Side Vending contractor for the section between Secunderabad and Kazipet, P. Siva Prasad, with whom the identified vendor in the video was employed. A penalty of Rs. 1,00,000/-  has been levied on the licensee, through IRCTC, the contracting agency.
A show cause note has also been issued to M/s P Siva Prasad, Licensee, Train Side Vending as to why his contract for train vending, Section-4, SC-KZJ, SC-NDKD-GNT section, should not be terminated. An explanation has been called within 15 days from the issue of Show Cause Notice done on 02.05.2018.
Two other persons seen in the video are unauthorized hawkers. The Commercial Department of South Central Railway has been carrying on extensive drives against unauthorized hawking at Secunderabad Railway Station in the last few months, during which all the unauthorized hawkers including the two involved in the incident have been removed.
A strict vigil is continuously being kept at various level to ensure that no such incidents recur.”
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
How could our constitution end up being manipulated to deny fundamental rights to some citizens, asks Director of Justice Delayed but Delivered
“When Article 370 was abrogated, oppressed people of Jammu got their rights back”
“Our film shows how a person stakes claim to his constitutional rights”
Panaji, 23 January 2021
“This idea came to my mind around 2012, after a friend of mine who was doing research found that a section of Dalits in Jammu and Kashmir were denied their constitutional rights. Dalits from Punjab were taken to Jammu and Kashmir for menial jobs such as scavenging and sanitation and for decades, they were forced to be confined to these very same occupations. They were denied even the fundamental rights of equal justice and equal opportunity, as guaranteed in our Constitution. I was struck as to how our constitution, framed by Dr. Ambedkar, could end up being manipulated to deprive some people of these fundamental rights. We did a documentary on article 35A in 2015, and we felt that the people who do not have a voice need to be heard.” This is how Kamakhya Narayan Singh, Director of the IFFI 51 Indian Panorama Non Feature film Justice Delayed but Delivered, described the circumstances which laid the seed for his film. He was addressing a press conference today, January 23, 2021, at the 51st International Film Festival of India, following the screening of his film at the festival yesterday.
The Director says that the 15-minute Hindi documentary film shows how a person stakes claim to his constitutional rights. “I feel proud of what we did through this documentary. The short documentary tells the story of struggle and hope of Radhika Gill and Rashmi Sharma, both belonging to the Valmiki community in J&K. The film revolves around the abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution." Radhika and Rashmi were both victims of discrimination due to Article 35A of the Indian Constitution, which provided special rights and privileges to ‘permanent residents’ of Jammu and Kashmir. Their predicaments end in the year 2019 when Article 370 is abrogated and Article 35A deleted from the Constitution of India, thereby conferring all the rights which they deserved since birth, said the Director.
Narayan Singh points to the change that has occurred in Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370. “Justice has been delivered to Dalits, women, Gorkhas, West Pakistani refugees and displaced persons living in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. Right to Equality is everywhere, the Constitution of India guarantees it to everyone, including to the last citizen. When Article 370 was abrogated, the oppressed people of Jammu got their rights back, on par with other citizens of the country.”
He emphasised that the right of every citizen in the country needs to be met as it is guaranteed under the Constitution. He pointed out that justice was not prevailing in J&K when Article 370 was in force and the citizens there were not enjoying many constitutional provisions.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister asserts there is a need to spread awareness to curb plastic usage
PM Narendra Modi has raised the prestige of the nation and has done path breaking work in every sphere ---Ram Vilas Paswan
Highlighting the ill effects of Plastics the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution Shri Ram Vilas Paswan informed at a media interaction that 95 lakh tonnes of plastic waste is generated by single use plastic out of this 6 lakh tonnes goes into the sea contaminating the waters. He also said that plastic waste when burnt gives rise to respiratory illnesses. The aim of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution is to phase out plastic use in packaging and move towards 100% use of jute in packaging foodstuff. Informing the media about initiatives taken by his Ministry in replacing one time use plastic bottles for drinking water with suitable alternatives, the Minister said that during a meeting attended by industry organisations and stakeholders and various government departments there were deliberations on issues relevant to packaging of drinking water. All stakeholders presented suggestions on replacing one time use plastic bottles for drinking water with suitable alternatives .They said there is a need for formulation of standards for packaging of drinking water using compostable material and a need to spread consumer awareness to curb plastic usage. Shri Paswan informed that all attached, subordinate autonomous bodies under the administrative control of his Ministry have stopped using single use plastic.
Conveying birthday wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 69th birthday Minister of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution Shri Ram Vilas Paswan lauded the work that has taken place in the country in every sphere. Addressing media he said that under Prime Ministers leadership India’s profile has risen on the global platform and PM has proved that India is a strong nation that can take on any security challenge. On the economy the Minister said that that GST and demonetisation have laid the foundations of a strong economy. On social justice the Minister said that the PM has ensured social justice for all sections of society including Muslim women. About Kashmir the Minister said that PM’s policies will go a long way in restoring normalcy in Kashmir and making it a prime tourism destination. He stated that today Swatch Bharat Abhiyan which began on 2nd October 2014 has become a national movement and Prime Minister has appealed to all people to make India plastic free.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles demise of Shri Ram Jethmalani
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has condoled the demise of Shri Ram Jethmalani, the legal veteran and a former union minister.
“In the passing away of Shri Ram Jethmalani Ji, India has lost an exceptional lawyer and iconic public figure who made rich contributions both in the Court and Parliament. He was witty, courageous and never shied away from boldly expressing himself on any subject.
One of the best aspects of Shri Ram Jethmalani Ji was the ability to speak his mind. And, he did so without any fear. During the dark days of the Emergency, his fortitude and fight for public liberties will be remembered. Helping the needy was an integral part of his persona.
I consider myself fortunate to have got numerous opportunities to interact with Shri Ram Jethmalani Ji. In these sad moments, my condolences to his family, friends and many admirers. He may not be here but his pioneering work will live on! Om Shanti”, the Prime Minister said.
Ministry of Defence
AIR FORCE COMMANDERS’ CONFERENCE NOV 2021
The Second bi-annual IAF Commanders’ Conference was inaugurated by Hon’ble Raksha Mantri on 10 Nov 21 at Air Headquarter . Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari PVSM AVSM VM ADC, welcomed Hon’ble Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, CDS General Bipin Rawat PVSM UYSM AVSM YSM SM VSM ADC and Secretary Defence Production Shri Raj Kumar. CAS introduced the IAF Commanders to the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri.
The Hon’ble Raksha Mantri addressed the Air Force Commanders on the inaugural day of the conference. In his address, the Raksha Mantri appreciated the IAF for maintaining a high level of preparedness, ability to respond on a short notice and displaying high standards of professionalism in carrying out operational and peace time tasks. The Raksha Mantri remarked on the volatile situation on our borders and said that the Armed Forces need to be prepared to respond at a short notice for any contingency. He brought out that the role of IAF in future conflicts is crucial and it needs to harness the capabilities and opportunities offered by AI, Big Data Handling and Machine Learning. He also mentioned that the efforts in the field of indigenization through ‘Make in India’ initiative of Govt of India is showing results and the orders of LCA Mk 1A and C-295 will open new opportunities in the indigenous aerospace sector. Expounding on theaterisation, he mentioned that enhancing jointness is essential and the structure should be evolved after closely examining various options, and inputs from all stake holders would be taken into consideration. The RM concluded by exhorting the commanders to brainstorm to evolve viable solutions towards the conference theme of, “Ensuring Certainty amidst Uncertainities”. The CAS thereafter briefed the Raksha Mantri on the current status of the IAF.
The CAS addressed all Commanders and emphasized on the need to develop multi-domain capability in order to give a swift and befitting response to any misadventures by our adversaries. He also emphasized on the need for joint training with the Indian Army and Indian Navy to enable synergized application of combat power in future conflicts. The CAS complimented all the commanders for maintaining a high state of readiness despite challenges posed by the pandemic.
The Commanders’ Conference is being conducted from 10 Nov 21 to 12 Nov 21. Uncertainty in the geo-political landscape makes it an imperative for the armed forces to train, equip and adapt to rapid changes. During the Conference, commanders will discuss and brainstorm situations which may affect National Security and focus on measures to enhance operational capability. Issues pertaining to strengthening training and optimising HR policies for effective utilization of manpower will also be discussed.
Election Commission
Shri Rajiv Kumar takes over as new Election Commissioner
Shri Rajiv Kumar today assumed charge as the new Election Commissioner  of India. Sh Kumar joins the Election Commission of India with Chief Election Commissioner Shri Sunil Arora and Election Commissioner Shri Sushil Chandra.
Born on 19thFebruary 1960, Shri Rajiv Kumar is a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service Officer. During the span of more than 36 years of Government of India service, Shri Kumar has worked in various Ministries at the Centre and his state cadre of Bihar/Jharkhand.
Sh. Rajiv Kumar assuming charge as the new Election Commissioner of India
Acquiring his academic degrees of B.SC, LL.B, PGDM and MA Public Policy, Shri Kumar has extensive work experience across Social Sector, Environment & Forests, Human Resources, Finance and Banking Sector.
He has keen commitment to use of technology applications and to bring about amendments in extant policy regime towards greater transparency, delivery
of services to citizens directly, eliminating intermediaries. Sh Kumar retired as Finance Secretary, Government of India in February 2020. He was thereafter appointed as Chairman Public Enterprises Selection Board from April 2020 till demitting office on 31st August 2020. Sh Kumar has also been Establishment Officer, Department of Personnel and Training from 2015-17 and prior to that Joint Secretary, Department of Expenditure with earlier assignments in Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Forests as also Education department in State cadre.
Sh Rajiv Kumar is an avid trekker with keen interest in Indian classical and devotional music.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Grand Jury and Selection Jury for 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow announced
Industry bigwigs like Prasoon Joshi , Manoj Bajpayee ,Resul Pookutty, Shankar Mahadevan part of Grand Jury
Under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and with an endeavour to encourage and recognise young creativeminds and budding talent in the country, the International FilmFestival of India had invited applications from young filmmakersacross the country, out of whom 75 creative minds will beselected to attend the 52nd International Film Festival. The selected '75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow' will beinvited to attend the 52nd International Film Festival ofIndia, Goa 2021 with an access to all the masterclasses/in-conversation sessions and interact with industry leaders along with otheractivities. The festival shall also cover the travel andaccommodation of each selected candidate.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has today announced the Grand Jury and Selection Jury for 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow.
GRAND JURY
- Prasoon Joshi - renowned Lyricist & Chairman CBFC
- Ketan Mehta - renowned Director
- Shankar Mahadevan - renowned Indian Musician / Singer
- Manoj Bajpayee - renowned Actor
- Rasul Pookutty - Oscar Winning Sound Recordist
- Vipul Amrutlal Shah - renowned Producer / Director
Selection Jury
- Vani TripathiTikoo - producer and actor, member CBFC
- Anant Vijay - writer and national award winner for best writing on cinema
- Yatindra Mishra - celebrated author and writer, National award winner for best writing on cinema
- Sanjay Puran Singh - film maker, National award winner for best film.
- SachinKhedekar – actor, director
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Singh Thakur had announced this first of its kind initiative on 22nd October. The Minister had said that the 52nd edition of IFFI will provide a platform to young budding talent from across India to connect with mainstream cinema filmmakers and the industry. These youngsters will be selected through a competition for young filmmakers from around the country. The Competition aims to provide a platform to 75 young filmmakers, actors, singers, scriptwriters, and others to showcase their talent at a globally recognized event.
The last date to submit applications online was 1st November, 2021.
Saurabh Singh
(Visitor Counter : 1231
Prime Minister's Office
PM welcomes new batch of 12 cheetahs in Kuno National Park
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has welcomed the new batch of 12 cheetahs in Kuno National Park.
Quoting a tweet by Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, the Prime Minister tweeted;
“India’s wildlife diversity receives a boost with this development.”
Ministry of Education
An IIT Kharagpur Alumnus Comes Up with Breakthrough Result in Computational Geometry
Kolkata, January 12, 2021
When the entire country is observing the National Youth Festival today with dignity and honour, here is good news in favour of the championship of the youths. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and presently working in Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Automation Dr Arindam Khan has succeeded in giving an efficient algorithm that finds a solution that is at least one-third of the optimal solution in Computational Geometry.
Maximum Independent Set of Rectangles  is a fundamental problem in computational geometry, approximation algorithms, and combinatorial optimization. In this problem, given a set of  rectangles on a plane one needs to find the maximum number of non-overlapping set of rectangles. MISR finds numerous applications in practice, e.g., in map labelling, data mining, and resource allocation. It also has rich connections with many important problems in theoretical computer science and discrete geometry.
However, it is intractable  to efficiently  find the optimal solution for this problem. So researchers were trying to find a good approximate solution that is close to optimal. Dr. Arindam Khan, his intern Madhusudhan Reddy and their international collaborators from Chile, Germany, and Poland, made progress on this notoriously hard problem and gave an efficient algorithm.
The result is going to appear in ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms , 2022 – one of the top conferences in Computer Science. Following the work, they have further improved the result and showed an efficient algorithm that finds a solution  half of the optimal solution. The work develops new mathematical techniques and extends the present techniques to their limits.
Dr Khan was a researcher in the Chair of Algorithms and Complexity, Institute for Informatics, TU Munich, Germany. He did his PhD in Algorithms, Combinatorics and Optimisation from the School of Computer Science in Georgia Institute of technology, Atlanta, USA. He taught at Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata also.
Ministry of Defence
DRDO's Aero India International Seminar - 2019
The 12th edition of the Aero India International Seminar  was inaugurated today at Bengaluru by Member NITI Aayog Dr VK Saraswat. The inaugural function was attended by Secretary  Dr Ajay Kumar, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation  & Secretary Department of Space Dr K Sivan, Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development, Chairman, Defence Research and Development Organisation  and Director General, Aeronautical Development Agency  Dr G Satheesh Reddy and President, Aeronautical Society of India  Dr RK Tyagi.
The two-day seminar is organized by DRDO in association with the Aeronautical Society of India  on February 18 and 19, 2019. Theme of the seminar is ‘Emerging Frontiers in Aerospace Technologies’. The seminar will have extensive interaction and deliberations in domain of Aerospace Materials, Stealth, Hypersonics, Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning in Aerospace, Sensors, Avionics, Propulsion and UAV/UCAV technologies.
Dr Saraswat in his inaugural address applauded the work done by DRDO for bridging the technological gaps. He said that the time has come to develop different kinds of weapons particularly in the areas of low intensity conflicts and highlighted the need to bring down the cycle time from research & development to production for better assimilation and absorption of technology in a time bound manner.
Dr Ajay Kumar, in his address said that the seminar of DRDO is the harbinger to the forthcoming Aero India events. He appreciated the contributions of ISRO and DRDO to the nation. He said DRDO has been playing a great role working with start-ups. DRDO and start-ups should work together to remain frontier in the technology areas.
Dr K Sivan in his address highlighted the importance of DRDO's role in Gaganyaan mission and expected to have more such collaborations in future programmes.
Dr G Satheesh Reddy in his address said there is a tremendous transformation in the aerospace sector. Advancements in technologies like propulsion, electronics, structures, and payloads have brought in significant reduction in the size, cost, and weight of Aerospace systems. Smart miniaturized aerospace sensor technologies will be the backbone for futuristic Defence and Aerospace Systems. We need to focus on Artificial Intelligence  in a big way. AI will impact efficiency, productivity, speed and innovation in the emerging aerospace industries. Advanced Materials, Hypersonics, Avionics, Autonomous vehicles and Engines are few of our major thrust areas. It is essential to harness the scientific capabilities in universities and industries and we have to take the lead to develop first of its kind technologies in the country.
A souvenir of the event was released on the occasion. Special issue of the journal of AeSI and a Monograph named ‘The Incredible Journey of Indian AWACS’ was also unveiled.
More than 1000 delegates from Services, R&D, Academia including student and industry delegates are participating in the seminar. About 38 speakers from both India and Abroad will deliver talks and will present papers during the seminar.
Prime Minister's Office
PM wishes Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth a speedy recovery from Covid
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has extended his wishes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth a speedy recovery from Covid and prayed for her good health.
In response to a tweet by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, H. E. Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister said;
"I wish Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth a speedy recovery and pray for her good health."